Brigham’s Ice Cream closing after all

Wednesday

Nov 25, 2009 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2009 at 2:26 PM

After being in business for more than 50 years, the Brigham’s Ice Cream in Wellesley is closing. The restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy last week. Ahmad Kazemi, the manager of the Brigham’s at 268 Washington St., said he found out Tuesday morning that the longtime favorite was being included in the group of stores that are closing. The doors will shut for good by Monday, Nov. 30.

Elana Zak

After more than 50 years in business, Brigham’s Ice Cream — an institution in Wellesley — is closing.

The restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy last week. Ahmad Kazemi, the manager of the Brigham’s at 268 Washington St., said he found out Tuesday morning that the longtime favorite was being included in the group of stores that are closing. The doors will shut for good by Monday, Nov. 30.

“[It’s] very sad,” said Kazemi, who has worked at the Wellesley location since 2004 but has been with the company since the late 1980s. “My day and night is Brigham’s. I’m always thinking about Brigham’s.”

Up until Monday Kazemi remained hopeful that his store would stay open. Last Friday, a green sign on the door informed customers, “This location is not closing!” By Tuesday, that sign was gone.

Barbara Rockett, whose son and daughter-in-law live in Wellesley, had remained optimistic the Brigham’s would not shut its doors. “It’s been a fixture for generations,” said Rockett, who became very emotional when discussing the store closing. “This was one of the last to be kept open.”

Kazemi said he is still trying to negotiate with the landlord to keep the store open; the lease runs for another year. The decision to close was entirely the company’s choice, Kazemi said, and neither he nor the landlord had a say.

“People like to see a Brigham’s,” he said. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”

The chain had 27 locations in and around the Boston area. In 2008, Brigham was divided in two. It sold its brand and recipes to the HP Hood milk company, and the restaurants were sold to Deal Metrics, LLC, a company out of Maryland. Various news sources have reported that Deal Metrics plans to keep eight of the most profitable Brigham’s restaurants or ice-cream stands open.

Customers and employees expressed anger and surprise when told that Brigham’s was closing. Some have been e-mailing the company. Others have suggested Kazemi ask for help from local politicians.

Dan Murphy said he stops by the ice cream shop two or three times a week to grab a cone. He recalled when there was a Brigham’s in almost every town and was the place to go. He and friends would stop by there to make plans for the evening or just to hang out.

“They were the ice cream shop you went to,” the Wellesley resident said.

Danielle Sabatier has worked at the store for four years, going full-time after graduating from Wellesley High School last year. She is one of 11 employees who will now have to find another job right before the holidays.

“It’s shocking,” Sabatier said. “It sucks.”

The closing was not as surprising to Kazemi, who said that about six months after the new owner took over problems began surfacing. The store has started taking only cash in order to be able to pay its employees and buy supplies. Just two weeks ago there were only four tubs of ice cream left. Kazemi had to order it himself. He can remember when he couldn’t walk through the freezer in the back because it was so filled with ice cream. That isn’t the case anymore.

“Hopefully, I’m going to take over here,” he said.

Needham resident Bonnie Davey said she has been going to Brigham’s for at least 30 years. She used to go to one in Newton, but after that one shut down, she started going to the Wellesley-based location. She and her husband stop by the shop frequently, normally ordering sundaes. He gets vanilla ice cream with pineapple pieces. She gets vanilla ice cream with walnuts and extra hot fudge.

Davey said she and her children loved going to Brigham’s. Some of them have moved out of the state and she mails them toppings from the store. Besides ice cream cones, toppings are the second most popular item bought at the store.

“Oh my gosh, now I have no more Brigham’s to go to,” she said when Kazemi told her the store was closing. “This was my last bastion.”

Elana Zak can be reached at ezak@cnc.com.

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